So yesterday my gauge cluster on my car started acting crazy the temp. Gauge said it was overheating but the car was not overheated. So I let it completely cool down. I put my key in the ignition and the temp. Reads in the middle when it should be all the way far left on a cold start up. So my guestion is if I buy a new cluster do I need to take it to the dealer to reprogram the miles to the new cluster or can I use my sct tuner to load the stock tune and would that work? And if so how do you do it. Plus my rpm gauge seems off too so that's why I figure I should just buy a new cluster instead of replacing the step motors.

 

all kinds of cheap fixes for this problem. craigslist has adds for people repairing gauge clusters. do a search on the forums and people do it themselves. this is a common problem.

 

yes you will need someone at the dealer or with the correct tools to fix it

 

Ok if your going the route of getting a new cluster pm me and ill give you a link to the guy on eBay I used. I swapped to the my color setup with a white face and absolutely love it he also programmed the mileage into it for me for an additional charge lol.

Them the dealer charged me 1 hour labor to program the as built data from one cluster to the new ( has to be done and is not the mileage)

To complete the my color swap I got the button from the dealer a d easiest install yet. Altogether I think I paid around 500.
Expensive but havk g the message center and my color was almost worthit.

 

Thanks, but I think I might just change out the stepper motors in my cluster my self seems easy enough just from watching the YouTube vids and it will save me a ton of money. Thanks for reply and if I mess it up I will PM you for link I just have to cross my fingers. To let you know for some reason my temp. Gauge started working again but for how long is the question.

 

Most likely your stepper motors. They almost guaranteed to go out.

 

I changed out the motors on 5 of my gauges using the U-tube video for guidance.
Works good if you have the patience and are handy with a solder iron.

Got the motors on Amazon.

 

In answer to your original question, of having to have a dealer do anything if you replace the cluster: the answer is, it depends on the cluster. If you find one of a similar year model and close mileage and your car has the same features or does not have them (such as ABS and tire pressure monitors), your "as-built" data for the cluster would be the same and would require no dealership programming. If you get a cluster that has ABS enabled and your car does not have ABS, then, yes, a dealer or other capable shop would need to program the cluster.

Of course repairing the cluster is the overall cheapest option if you are able to do so.

 

Same thing happened to my wife's Trailblazer. Dealership said it was the gauge cluster but it turned out to be the little motors behind each gauge that go out. It would only doing when it was hot outside or on long runs when the car was running hot. Started with the tac sticking and then the fuel gauge went out. Even at full it would only read a half a tank. $25 per motor installed and have never had the problem again.

 

Mileage is stored on the PCM, not the cluster.
The AS-BUILT data need to be the same as your old cluster.